Various deflectors, sometimes referred to as end deflectors, are available, such as disclosed in GB-A-2512038, US-A-2015/0336377 and U.S. Pat. No. 9,352,409.
The present inventor has recognized that existing end deflectors suffer from a number of drawbacks, in causing disruption of the print medium roll at the lateral ends of the printing blade, and also in causing coining of the printing screen, where the end deflectors dig into the printing screen with repeated operation.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide improved end deflectors for printing blades, typically squeegee blades, in preventing the escape of print medium beyond the lateral ends of printing blades in a printing operation.
It is also an aim to enable simplified deflector switching methods for different print media, such as printing paste and adhesive.
It is a yet further aim to provide a deflector which is resistant to damage from paste contamination.